From a college student to a CEO, Dustin Mitzel turned a part-time summer job into a full-time career at Happy Harry’s Bottle Shops in North Dakota. And now, nearly 30 years later, he has successfully led the five-unit beverage retail concept through growth and expansion in an ever-changing landscape, and found much success along the way. Mitzel describes himself as an active CEO who likes to be in the stores regularly, looking at both big-picture and small-picture items with his management team and always staying focused on the core objectives of the Happy Harry’s business model: service, selection, savings, and shopping convenience, as well as philanthropy.
Along with his daily involvement within Happy Harry’s, Mitzel has also recently been named president of the Wine and Spirits Guild of America, further demonstrating his commitment to the beverage industry. While the original plan had him taking over his father’s accounting firm after college, Mitzel says the excitement of drinks retail hooked him early on and he hasn’t looked back. Today, he’s made a name for himself not only within the store walls at Happy Harry’s units, but also via his weekly radio segment and regular television appearances in North Dakota.
“I’m very fortunate that I was given the opportunity at a very young age to have a senior role in this business,” Mitzel says. “The thing that energizes me most is walking through the stores and talking with our team in each location about what new category we need to make space for or what move to make so the customer experience is better.”
For his continued success at the helm of Happy Harry’s, Mitzel has been named a 2025 Market Watch Leader.
Advancement Opportunities
Mitzel quickly jumped up the ladder at Happy Harry’s, as previous owner Hal Gershman—a 1990 Market Watch Leader—recognized his potential early on. Mitzel joined Happy Harry’s during the summer of 1996, while he was attending the University of North Dakota. The job was only supposed to last a few months, but by August he’d been named a supervisor so he decided to stay with the company while completing his degree in accounting. In 1998 Mitzel was promoted to store manager at the flagship Happy Harry’s in Grand Forks, North Dakota and just five years later he was promoted to general manager of the entire company, which at that time spanned three units, two in Grand Forks and one in Fargo, North Dakota.
In 2015 the Gershman family sold the business to its employees through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, and Mitzel was named CEO during the transition. He was also appointed to the company’s board of directors at that time. “Hal Gershman had a lot of faith and trust in me and our young team,” Mitzel says. “Hal is a brilliant retailer and it was amazing for me to learn from him, and for him to trust me and our team to take the reins. What I’m most proud of is going from a part-time summer help employee, who was not going to have a position with the company in three months, to managing all operations seven short years later, to eventually becoming its CEO.”
Gershman remains on the board of directors for Happy Harry’s and Mitzel says he and his mentor talk almost daily. “I’m very fortunate to have the relationship I do with Hal,” he adds. “He’s a wealth of knowledge and I know I will get an honest opinion from him, and usually some sage advice. He allowed me to take chances and push the company in certain directions when he owned it, of course under his watchful eye. The guidance he’s provided really helped shape me as a retailer while allowing me to put my own stamp on the company.”
Mitzel’s stamp includes being a visible member of the Grand Forks and Fargo, North Dakota communities, as well as an influential part of the beverage retail industry on a larger scale. He has taught classes related to retail and the beverage industry for the hotel and restaurant management programs at North Dakota State University and the University of Minnesota-Crookston. In addition, he has a weekly Friday morning radio show that airs in North Dakota’s Red River Valley region, and he’s a regular guest appearance on local television programs to discuss wine, cocktails, and home entertaining. Further, Mitzel was president of the North Dakota Hospitality Association from 2003-2005, he was appointed to the board of directors for the Wine and Spirits Guild of America in 2019, and he began his two-year term as president of the guild this past May. He’s also following in Gershman’s footsteps there, as Hal was president of the Wine and Spirits Guild from 2003-2005.
These days, Mitzel is working hard to uphold Happy Harry’s status as a destination beverage retailer in North Dakota. Though he says there are no current plans to add more units, the CEO explains that his goal is to maintain and grow the business while staying flexible to the constant changes within the world of retail. His leadership team, including general manager Greg Rixen and operations manager Nate Honrath, help in that regard.
“I’m a very hands-on CEO in terms of tactile things within our stores, in addition to developing our strategic vision,” Mitzel says. “The strength of our management team allows me to move around and visit all our stores on a regular basis. Hal told me early on that you need to walk through the front door of your store and see what the customers see, and then shop the store as a customer. It’s really amazing the things that you identify when you do that.”
Strong And Steady
Though there are challenges in the current retail landscape, Mitzel says business is strong at Happy Harry’s and he adds that the company’s employee ownership team feels good about how the stores are faring. Happy Harry’s operates three stores in Fargo and two in Grand Forks, North Dakota, with the average store size totaling 16,000 square feet. The three larger units, which the company calls its “south stores” for their positioning in each city, stock fairly similar product assortments, while the north stores, which the company calls its “university stores” due to their geographic location and locale next to the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks and North Dakota State in Fargo, are smaller and have slightly less SKUs.
Company-wide, Happy Harry’s boasts a roster of 12,100 SKUs, with spirits ranging from 3,000 to 3,800 SKUs per store, wine spanning 2,500 to 3,300 SKUs per store, and beer ranging from 2,000 to 2,500 SKUs per store. In all, spirits and spirits-based RTD cocktails comprise 39% of total sales, while beer makes up 36%, and wine holds 19%; the remaining 6% is made up of miscellaneous items, including cigars, as each store has a walk-in humidor. The stores are distinctive in design, with four of the five locations situated in buildings designed to evoke a big barn. The interiors boast high ceilings and a low-profile layout, meaning shoppers can see across the entire store from any vantage point.
“Our buildings are iconic, as is our logo, but it’s what we offer inside that I believe sets us apart,” Mitzel says. “Aside from the best prices and selection in the market, we pride ourselves on customer service. We over-staff to ensure that when guests check out, it’s done efficiently and with very short or no wait-times. We also offer carry-out service, which is something nobody is doing in our market.”
Even though wine holds the smallest share of sales in terms of beverage categories, it gets prime positioning at the center of the stores. Mitzel says the company’s varied wine offerings have been a draw for customers since the 1980s, and he’s committed to maintaining a wide array of labels and styles. Sweet wines are currently leading sales, led by Moscato, Riesling, and Moscato d’Asti, though Mitzel says Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, red blends, Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon Blanc also do well. The top-selling wines at Happy Harry’s include Apothic Red ($8 a 750-ml.), the lineup of Barefoot varietals ($6), Risata Moscato d’Asti ($12), Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay ($12), and Francis Ford Coppola Diamond Collection Claret ($13). In spirits, Canadian whisky, vodka, and rum lead the charge, and Mitzel says the ready-to-drink canned cocktail segment is also fast-moving, as are mini 50-ml. spirits offerings. The company’s top-selling spirits include Windsor Canadian whisky ($14 a 1.75-liter), Tito’s vodka ($30), Captain Morgan Spiced rum ($25), Karkov vodka ($10), Black Velvet Canadian whisky ($15), and New Amsterdam vodka ($17). Fireball leads sales within miniature 50-ml. bottles.
Beer is a pillar for Happy Harry’s, and Mitzel says the stores have the largest selection of beers in the region. Light beers dominate, though he notes that the company boasts a wide array of craft, specialty, and imported beers too. Top-sellers overall include Busch Light ($22 a 30-pack of cans), Michelob Ultra ($24 a 24-pack of cans), and Coors Light, Bud Light, and Miller Lite (each $20 a 24-pack of cans).
“We were the first retail liquor store in our region to truly bring an international selection of products to this market decades ago, and we’re still considered the place to go today,” Mitzel says, adding that the store is a destination not only for alcohol but also cigars, bar accessories, and specialty food items. While Happy Harry’s is seeing success across the store, Mitzel notes there is one area of difficulty—THC beverages, which are prohibited in North Dakota but not in neighboring states. “THC beverages are available to our east in Minnesota and to our south in South Dakota, but they’re not legal in North Dakota,” he explains. “It’s an extremely fast-growing category that we need to get our arms around legislatively and competitively.”
Locally Minded
Happy Harry’s aims to be a good community partner throughout its shopping neighborhoods and the company’s management is dedicated to giving back in a variety of ways. In 2024 the company contributed to more than 200 events, fundraisers, and sponsorships, totaling more than $450,000, and Mitzel says giving back is one of the company’s core beliefs. “An important aspect of our image is being involved in the sponsoring of events and giving back to our communities,” Mitzel says. “Happy Harry’s has always had a big footprint of generosity, and as our business grew our community give-back did as well, and I believe this has helped tremendously with our success. We took the baton from Hal in terms of how the stores look, the customer experience, our philanthropy, and our marketing. We’ve put it into another gear as our business grew.”
Social media has become a key part of consumer outreach, and Happy Harry’s employs most of the mainstream platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Though, as alcohol shipping and delivery is not yet legal in North Dakota, the company hasn’t yet created a mobile app or online shopping platform. “We utilize technology for efficiency within our business, and the Internet for messaging and branding,” Mitzel explains. “I’ve really put a focus on technology and infrastructure upgrades.”
Going forward, the focus will remain on product selection and service in Happy Harry’s stores, and Mitzel says his increasing role with the Wine and Spirits Guild will only further that mission and the retail company’s overall success. Maintaining a customer-first mindset while avoiding complacency are always top-of-mind.
“We like to say ‘every customer is our best customer’ and ultimately we want to make sure our customers feel like they don’t need to travel the world for a world class selection,” Mitzel says. “We’re always striving to find the newest things, whether that be new products or experiences within our stores. We have the mindset that we’re second-best, and this has helped us not to settle or lose our drive, but rather encourages us to constantly improve.”